Tit-for-tat zoning deal approved in Canandaigua

Wednesday

Nov 28, 2007 at 12:01 AMNov 28, 2007 at 8:53 AM

For green in the form of cash and infrastructure, the town gives a developer a green light.

Philip Anselmo

The Villas at Canandaigua has cleared the first hurdle in the development process: Town Board approval and rezoning. The next phase of planning and design review — which has not even begun — will likely stretch well into 2008, said the town planning consultant, Ron Brand.

The Town Board approved rezoning of the 49-acre parcel south of Routes 5 and 20 and west of Middle Cheshire Road in late October. And Rochester-based developer Wegman Cos. then agreed to a package of road and utility projects and cash payments drafted by the board in exchange for that rezoning.

The Villas project calls for the construction of 33 buildings of 132 clustered condominiums on that site.

The projects that the developer would complete during construction of the Villas include:

• an extension of the sewer line along the west side of Middle Cheshire Road to the Crosswinds Wesleyan Church.

• installation of a water main the same size as those that already run along Middle Cheshire Road and Parrish Street Extension, to prevent a reduction of water pressure in the neighborhood.

• construction of a hiking and biking trail from the site along the sewer construction line down to County Road 16.

• turning lanes on both the north and south sides of the intersection of Middle Cheshire Road and Routes 5 and 20 and West Street.

• a cash payment of $75,000 to the town for use in developing a park.

• a cash payment of $125,000 to the town to make improvements to Outhouse Park, currently being developed along Outhouse Road.

Wegman Cos. has not yet submitted a formal application with the Planning Board to get preliminary approval to build on the site, said Brand. That means the December deadline has not been met and that an application would likely not come in until early next year.

“They are still in the very early stages, because they haven’t received any kind of approvals from the Planning Board,” said Brand.

Once the Planning Board grants approval to develop the 49-acre site, Wegman Cos. would then begin the lengthy review process for site plan approval. Every step of the way, the Planning Board will pore over the details: the size of the detention ponds, landscaping, lighting, the community center.

Public hearings will be announced as they are scheduled.

Philip Anselmo can be reached at (585) 394-0770, Ext. 322, or at panselmo@mpnewspapers.com.